The “Global City: Concentration, Hub and Radiation” roundtable was held at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies on April 14. Attending scholars had an in-depth debate about strategies and practical measures to build Guangzhou into a global city.

“A global city is one that is capable of directly influencing global affairs in terms of society, economy, culture and government,” said Zeng Weiyu, chairman of the Guangzhou Social Sciences Association. A global city mainly has three fundamental functions. First of all, it can implement global resource allocation through concentration capability to become a regional, national and even global resource allocation center. It is also an important hub in the network system of global cities in the era of economic globalization and informatization, connecting the whole world together. In addition, it can have radiation and driving effects on surrounding areas as a central city of the world’s urban agglomeration, Zeng said.

Zhang Guohua, director of the Urban Center Comprehensive Transportation Planning Institute at National Development and Reform Commission, outlined the future path of Guangzhou’s urban construction from the perspective of becoming a global city in three aspects: transportation, industry and space. Guangzhou’s role in the “Belt and Road” initiative should be reaffirmed by shifting from coastal to comprehensive openness and promoting a radiation effect in the South China, Zhang said.